If I had to tally all of the questions I get about the clearance process and put them into categories, one question would top them all – ‘is my clearance still good?’ It’s reflective of the job market of our time, where individuals no longer yoke themselves to a single employer for 30 years, but it’s common for many individuals to step in and out of government positions, or even transition out of the military only to transition back in.
Another reason the question is more common is that the traditional process of reinvestigation dates being the critical milestone for clearance eligibility have given way to the government’s new process of continuously vetting cleared employees and individuals in positions of trust. Under CV, it’s easier for the government to know about risky behaviors sooner, and they’ve been able to extend the period between eligibility and when an individual can hop into government service. A clearance used to remain ‘current’ for two years, but now it stays current for three years. That means a new investigation isn’t required for someone to step back into the same level of eligibility, and a candidate simply needs to update with any newly relevant information or changes.
The significant number of people who used to serve or work in government and who later find themselves wanting back in points to the importance of the government’s systems to re-establish trust – and the potential needs for new ideas to come to the table, like implementing a clearance ready reserve or more innovative ideas for individuals to keep their eligibility and interest even as they pursue a position in the private sector or another opportunity.
